"There's a word for doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. George Bush has made America less safe and less respected in the world. And the Republican presidential candidates, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani, are competing to see who can be the bigger, badder George Bush. Is that really what America wants? When I'm president of the United States, I will make America more safe.
As I said yesterday, the core of the Bush presidency is a political doctrine they call the Global War on Terror. They use it to justify all the worst abuses of this administration – from Abu Ghraib to Guantanamo to the assault on civil liberties to the war in Iraq. The one thing it doesn't do is the one thing it's supposed to do - by the Administration's own admission, the threat of terrorism is up, not down.
Let's be crystal clear – the president of the United States has an absolute responsibility to stop terrorists wherever they are, with whatever it takes.
But that's not what the Bush terror doctrine does. The Bush terror doctrine says we're going to pursue our ideological agenda without regard to whether it works and without regard to the will of the American people. And if you oppose us, if you challenge us, if you disagree with us, you're soft on terror, you're not a patriot.
It's a political sledgehammer plain and simple. And the most insidious part about it is that it does not work.
Abu Ghraib has not made us safer.
Wiretapping Americans has not made us safer.
The war in Iraq has not made us safer.
We don't need a political sledgehammer; we need a comprehensive strategy to protect America from 21st century threats. We need to build a strong mission-focused military and restore our moral leadership around the world. That's the vision I laid out yesterday."
http://www.johnedwards.com/...
I couldn't have said it more beautifully myself!! Bravo Mr. Edwards!! The "War on Terror" for several years was just used to silence critics of the Iraq War like all of us, and make us look weak or un-patriotic when we pointed out the many flaws in their Iraq planning. No matter who you are supporting for President you should admire Edwards for having the courage to stand up and say to the world that this "War on Terror" is garbage, and we need a different way.
Further, the one thing I have heard many Republicans including my Senators and Congressmen is that "Democrats just want to critisize Bush, but they don't come up with any plans of their own to fight the War on Terror". This simply is not true. The Administration will not listen to anyone else!! Many people have different ideas to bring to the table. Democrats like Russ Feingold and Jack Murtha have led on this issue. John Edwards doesn't just critisize either, he has detailed plans to not only re-build our military to better suit modern challenges, but to make a more concentrated effort at really fighting terrorism where it starts. I wanted to share it with anyone who wants to read it today. First the mission statement:
Edwards will put America on an offensive footing against those who would harm us. In order to fight terrorism, Edwards will strengthen our military force structure and recognize what our military commanders have made clear military action is only one of the tools we have to stop terrorism; we have to supplant the lure of violent extremism with the hope of education, opportunity, and prosperity.
Edwards then goes on to state six specific proposals for making this happen:
Force Structure: The force structure of our military should match its mission. The Administration's mismanagement of the military has not only breached the faith at the highest levels—it has led to a very dangerous situation for our security. We are sending some troops back to Iraq with less than a year's rest. Edwards believes we need to ensure that our force structure is well-equipped for the challenges of the new century. We must have enough troops to rebuild from Iraq; to bolster deterrence; to decrease our heavy reliance on Guard and Reserve members in military operations; and to deploy in Afghanistan and any other trouble spots that could develop. As president, Edwards will also double the budget for recruiting and raise the standards for the recruiting pool so that we can reduce waivers issued for recruits with felonies, which have skyrocketed under President Bush.
Wow. Now, I am no military genius and will not pretend to be. However, to me some of these things just seem to be common sense. Everyone knows Bush has stretched the military to the breaking point and it simply has to be fixed by our next leader. Everyone knows that the same troops are serving over and over in Iraq. It only seems sesible to me too, that we are fighting in a 21st century world and it is time to update tactics and equipment. This whole Iraq fiasco is a perfect example. Everyone knows we need to take pressure off our National Guard. Katrina showed us what happens when they aren't here. Unlike Bush, Edwards would try to address these problems instead of defund them, and would show real respect to our troops and the problems they face.
Next, Edwards goes on to talk about the art of Intelligence gathering:
Intelligence Strategy: We must aggressively gather intelligence in accordance with proven methods. Valuable information can be gained through interrogation, both about past and future attacks, and we must do everything we can to gather this information to keep us and our allies secure. At the same time, we must avoid actions that will give terrorists or even other nations an excuse to abandon international law. As president, Edwards will immediately address the issues that have become blemishes on America's image in the world by closing Guantanamo Bay, restoring habeas corpus, and banning torture.
Need I say more? Does this not sum up what we have been trying to scream out to our fellow citizens the whole time? With Edwards in the White House, we would have a sensible leader, who would pay attention to all the intelligence available and not cherry-pick what he wants to hear? A leader who would not expect us to give away generations of Constitutional protections to make his job easier!! A competent, level headed leader who would listen to what realistic people told him. I submit with a leader like Edwards in the White House that 9-11 could have been prevented because he would take the time to read intelligence reports!!
Now, I could rant on that point all night, but for the well-being of all those involved, I will move on. This next one is real important too:
Meetings with Military Leadership: The past few years have brought the biggest crisis in civil-military relations in a generation. The mismanagement of the Pentagon has been so severe that many of our most decorated retired officers are speaking out. As president, Edwards will institute regular, on-on-one meetings with top military leadership. He will also reinstate a basic doctrine of national security management that has been demolished by the Bush Administration: military professionals will have primary responsibility in matters of tactics and operations, while civilian leadership will have authority in all matters of broad strategy and political decisions.
Now again, nobody is ever going to accuse me of being General Patton or anything, but this paragraph just seems like common sense too. It is sad that in our nation a candidate running even has to include this paragraph. It sounds like to me Edwards has the true mark of a leader. He wants to surround himself with his military leaders on a regular basis to consider their input and make an informed intelligent decision. Having military leaders make decisions on tactics and operations instead of chickenhawks like Dick Cheney and corporations like Halliburton??!? How revolutionary!!!!
I really like this next idea:
"Marshall Corps": Weak and failing states create hotbeds for terrorism and create regional instability that creates security dangers for the U.S. and our allies. As president, Edwards will create a "Marshall Corps" of 10,000 professionals, modeled on the Reserves systems, who will work on stabilization and humanitarian missions. He will also implement new training for future military leadership and create a undersecretary for stabilization and a new senior stabilization position within the Joint Staff.
This is actually a very good idea. I see it as sort of a "Peace Corps" for the new century. After I finish college, I would actually consider serving in such a capacity if it were available. It is time that we took President Kennedy's approach towards reaching out to the world once again. This proposal would definately be a step in the right direction!!
This one is a no-brainer:
Rebuild Equipment. Over 1,000 vehicles like tanks and helicopters have been lost in Iraq, and our equipment is being used at a rate of five to six times its peacetime use. Our forces are not equipped to meet the challenges presented to them. As president, Edwards will re-invest in the maintenance of our equipment so our strategy against terrorists is as effective as possible.
We need to make sure that our troops are recieving the tools they need to do what is asked of them. You can bet with Edwards as their leader, they wouldn't be buying their own body armour, and digging through scrap heaps to try and armour their vehicles. I think Edwards makes that pretty clear.
He goes on to talk about streamlining the military and various civilian agencies:
National Security Budget: The military budget itself also needs substantial reforms to keep us as safe as possible and to deal with 21st century threats. Today, dozens of agencies perform overlapping tasks, and there is no central, overall accounting of all security activities performed by all relevant agencies. We have nuclear proliferation programs in the Defense, State, and the Energy departments, and more than 15 different security assistance programs, running out of both the State Department and the Defense Department. As president, Edwards will implement a new National Security Budget that will include all security activities by the Pentagon and the Department of Energy, and our homeland security, intelligence, and foreign affairs agencies.
http://www.johnedwards.com/...
Now, this again just sounds like to me to be common sense. We simply must streamline these agencies so that information flows more freely between them. This will end much confusion and allow these agencies to perform at full capacity.
Now, you may wonder how John Edwards can have so many ideas on terror, and the military. That is because Edwards shows the same maturity in his campaign as he would in his administration. He has surrounded himself with military experts and gained valuable insights into what has to be done. Here are the members of Edwards' Military Advisory Group:
http://www.johnedwards.com/...
As you can see, Edwards has the maturity and policy to be a leader all America could be proud of on the world stage. Please join us in sending a truly strong, mature, and compassionate human being to the White House!!!
Edwards in 08- The Democrat with vision!!
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